Camp Halfblood: Dementia Progression
by Mr. Sobriquet
Summary: The mysterious benefactor causes havoc, and the gods are forced to use their most desperate card: Glen Faulkner. As the quest for the benefactor continues, loved ones will be found again, and Glen will find a side to his powers darker than imagined.
1. Chapter 1

The Madness Part 2

Chapter 1: I Become a Trapeze Artist

I'm a procrastinator. Kill me. Actually, don't. There are tons of nice monsters willing to do that for you. I can't help but feel a little nervous that three months had gone by and I had made no progress in my deadline with the Fates.

I should probably be out there killing monsters in a mad scramble so as to give the gods a reason to spare me. But I didn't.

I was on a ski lift in Santa Fe, New Mexico. And killing monsters definitely was not on my to-do list. I was on a vacation.

On the other hand, killing monsters is _never_ on my to-do list. They just gravitate toward me. I squirmed a little on the chair lift and batted some snow off my skis. I wanted to try snowboarding, but I realized that beginners of snowboarding often looked like fools who kept on falling.

And that was not the impression I wanted to give Lydia. I looked at her, sitting next to me on the ski lift. She smiled. "It's so nice that your mom let me go skiing with you guys."

"Yeah." It had been a good few months for her. My dad, Dionysus, had actually sent her money. He called it child support. Seeing as I was living at camp for the last few months, my father apparently had a soft side.

My mom had gotten a job as a chef, and for the first time ever we got a vacation. I couldn't pass it up. No matter how imminent my death could be, seeing my mom was always a necessity.

And then she had invited Lydia as well. Apparently I needed to spend a lot of time with my friends since I didn't have much. And so here we were, sitting together on a chairlift.

After our quest a few months back, Lydia had a sort of confidence about her. I guess that realizing her lost brother was alive had done wonders on her mentality. There was a lot less screaming between us now, and more laughing and talking.

I glanced back. On the chairlift behind us, my mom was sitting there. She mouthed to me. _Talk to her_. I felt the tips of my ears burn. It was hard to be natural around Lydia with my mom right behind us.

My mom had a sort of playful nature when it came to things that I was awkward back. Sometimes she could be as bad Dad. Lydia looked up at the snow drifting down, and then she glanced at me. "What are you staring at?"

"Huh? Oh…um, the tree." Thankfully, the pine trees were tall enough so that my even from the chairlift my excuse seemed even a little possible.

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Have you any idea what you're going to do about the deadline?"

I shrugged. "I kind of thought I would go with the flow." Which turned out to be a very bad idea. The flow is not a good thing. The flow is a sadist.

A laugh pierced the air. Lydia and I turned. My mom's eyes widened. I had forgotten that she was able to see through the Mist. Seemed like a pretty important detail now that I think about it.

Standing above us on the cable wire was an empousa. Not just any empousa, but the one we met moths ago on our quest. I had no idea how she was balancing on the cable with her metal leg and donkey hoof, but in my experience monsters tend to shrug off such minor technicalities.

"You again," I said. Perhaps that didn't come out as mean as I wanted too. Cut me some slack. You've never seen how good looking an empousa was before.

"Me," chuckled the empousa. "Did you miss me, Glenny?"

Lydia drew her bow out from nowhere. "Give me one reason-, actually, scratch that. I'm just going to shoot you."

The empousa casually walked back on the wire line. She stopped above my mom's cable. Her donkey hoof tapped the part connecting the wire to the chairlift. "How sturdy do you think it is?"

I froze. My mom looked up and yelped in surprise. "What happened to your legs?" The empousa looked down to glare at her.

Lydia and I traded a split second look. In the months we had known each other we had developed a sense of teamwork. Well, mainly one person does something and the other person improvises in response. But we are pretty good at that.

Lydia let loose an arrow. The empousa's head whipped up, and attacked with her hair. Now would probably be a good time to mention her flaming hair. I kicked my skis off. They fell down to the ground.

An angry person below looked up, but I had already sprung from my seat. Never a smart thing to do while suspended up high in the air, but my powers deprived me of my sanity.

I glowed a familiar shade of purple. In a second I was standing effortlessly on the wire. I smiled and let out an elated laugh. The empousa looked at me, a demonic smile on her face.

"Still want to ask me out to dinner?"

"You never gave me your number," I bantered back.

She smiled. "Call me Scarlet. You're welcome to visit my home anytime."

"And where do you live?"

"Tartarus."

"I figured." She sprang at me, but I met her blow. The bronze blade of my knife met the sharp talons on her hand. Scarlet raised her hand and fire hosed out like a flame thrower.

I took a running jump and flipped. My knife slashed at her. She dodged. I fell and caught the wire with my free hand. I stabbed her leg with my other hand.

_Ping! _I scowled. "I always hit the metal one." The empousa raised her metal foot to stomp down. Another arrow whistled by and caught her in the shoulder.

She howled. "No more playing around." She smashed her foot down, and I had no choice but to let go before she crushed my hand. Another hand grabbed me.

My mom pulled me up, an impressive feat considering that we were on a ski lift. Scarlet was advancing toward Lydia. I jumped on the cable again. "I'm ready for round two."

Scarlet sneered. "Nice try." She shot a fireball at me, and I ducked. When I looked up, a metal knee slammed me in the face. If it weren't for my powers I would have lost my balance and fallen off the wire ages ago.

I straightened up. Another good thing about my powers was that they dulled the pain. Of course the aftereffects felt bad, but I could worry about that later. The problem at hand was the battlefield. We were on a wire, and that meant narrow ground. With her flaming projectiles, the empousa had an advantage.

I charged her, allowing my aura to darken to wine red. Enter the Red Beast mode. Greater power, greater tolerance to pain, but less control. Not ideal when fighting on a wire, but I wasn't planning on staying on the cable.

The empousa hit me with fire. It burnt my shoulder but I charged on. Scarlet didn't know about the Red Beast last time she met. I planned on using that to my advantage.

I crashed into her and we tumbled. There was a blur of color and we crashed to the snowy ground below. It was painful, but pain was an isolated feeling in the Red Beast mode. I wasn't really affected by it unless it prevented me from moving physically. Which was, unfortunately, the problem at hand.

I groaned. Scarlet got up. Out of the trees came a figure. And a…a chainsaw. The was a loud roar and then Scarlet snarling.

"One move and I'll cut him!" Oh. She was talking about me. I looked at the blade she had pulled out. It was tinged with sickly green, a familiar poisonous color.

I couldn't see the figure from the position that Scarlet was holding me. I heard Lydia shout from up above. _Thwap!_ My eyes widened. The arrow that landed next to us was a special one. The empousa looked at it blankly. Before I could react, the arrow ignited.

The flare arrow exploded into light, which enveloped the snow. A brilliant flash enveloped me, blocking out my senses.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Frosty the Snowman Attacks Me

I saw nothing. I opened my eyes, and I still saw nothing. My eyes hurt. I was blind. Blind. No. No. No. I screamed. I flailed. Someone touched me.

It was horrifying. To lose one's senses, that is. I was scared. Who was it? I didn't know. Why couldn't I see?

"Glen, calm down." I did. It was my mom. I stopped panicking. Excluding my sight, I came back to my senses. I felt the cold powder of snow. I heard a quiet wind, the soft sound of people skiing by. I heard Lydia.

Light flooded in my eyes, bringing color and vision back. The pain in my eyes stopped. I blinked. My mom hovered over me, concerned. "Are you okay, Glen?"

I got onto a sitting position, leaning underneath a pine tree. "W-what happened?"

"Snow blindness," said Lydia. She shook her head. "I was an idiot for using the flare arrow. Luckily, I can heal temporary blindness."

I looked to my left and saw the other person. I saw a short, burly man wearing plaid. He had a cap on, and the lower body of a goat. It was a satyr. Specifically, Bough Hewn. I stared.

"What happened to your nose?"

Bough scowled. "You. When you were blind you went completely psycho on me. Your red aura thing flared up, and you hit me."

"It was an accident."

Bough sniffed. "I was trying to help."

"What happened to the empousa?" I asked, quickly changing the subject. Despite his manly exterior, Bough could get pretty touchy about things like that.

Bough shrugged. "We exchanged some banter, I waved my chainsaw a bit, she said something about a benefactor, and then exploded into flames."

Lydia and I exchanged glances. "Did you say benefactor?" she said sharply.

Bough nodded. "Yeah."

My mom interrupted. "Excuse me, but is it rude of me to ask why you are here in the first place? We're on vacation."

"With all due respect Ms. Faulkner-,"

"Laura."

"-Laura, that's not the most important question at hand-,"

"Actually," said Lydia, "that is pretty important. Why were you here? Shouldn't you be doing protector work for Grover?"

Bough looked uncomfortable. "I…um…missed you guys?"

"Nice try," I interjected. "You told me to eat rabbit droppings last week." My mom looked at Bough.

"It was capture-the-flag," he protested. "I was being competitive."

We all looked at him. He sighed. "Top secret mission."

Lydia shrugged. "Fair enough. But why would the empousa attack us? In the forest was purely coincidental, but again in New Mexico?"

"And did you guys see Scarlet's sword?" I said. They stared blankly. "The empousa."

Lydia frowned. "You're on first name basis with an _empousa_?"

I felt my ears go a little red. My mom looked at me, grinning. "She has nice legs."

"Don't," I warned, "even go there."

Bough rolled his eyes. "Back to topic, kiddos." The only reason my mom let him call her kiddo was because Bough was over fifty-five years old. "The sword. Green, nasty, and poisonous right?"

Lydia looked at me in realization. This was the benefactor that we had heard about on our quest. We had disregarded it at the time due to the fact imminent death was at hand, but now there was a connection.

"We need to get back to camp," I said immediately. Lydia nodded. My mom didn't look to enthusiastic about it, but she knew that something important was at hand. Bough looked uncomfortable.

"There's one problem with that."

"Secret mission?"

"Secret mission." He nodded grimly. "I'm not supposed to say, but I think the circumstances will allow it. You guys know what happened after the second Giant's War, right?" We nodded. "The thing is, many conspirators against the gods fled during the aftermath."

"Like Prometheus in the second Titan war," I said. Bough nodded.

"Naturally, the gods want the conspirators remaining to be rounded up. There is one goddess in particular that we are searching for."

"Who?" Lydia asked.

"Khione, goddess of the snow. We have nature spirit ambassadors in the realm of Boreas, but we are checking all places to find her."

Lydia nodded. "Santa Fe would make sense then. But how would that prevent us from leaving camp?"

Bough looked serious. "There's been a gathering of chaotic spirits here, including _venti._ We think that Khione might have something to do with it. There's another problem too. There's a demigod on the loose, whose has powers over the ice and snow. We codenamed him Frostbite."

"Whoa," I said. "That sounds really cool."

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Funny, you and your stupid puns. But Bough, I still don't see why this is a problem for us."

"Some of my kinsmen have tried to track Frostbite down. They all died from a poisoned wound." He let the thought sink in.

I sucked my breath in. "I'm going to say that's all pure coincidence."

Bough looked at me. "You're really going to give yourself the benefit of the doubt?"

Needless to say, the snowmen attacked then. The air turned several degrees lower and then the snow started to form into misshapen forms of humanoids. One grabbed at my mom. She kicked it. Her foot planted into the body, and it got stuck there.

Lydia shot a sonic arrow, and it blew the snowman apart. But more formed, and the one blasted to pieces was reforming as well. I called to my mom. "Run!" She stayed firmly rooted. I could tell that she hated leaving us here in danger. But smashing monsters was kind of my thing, so it was my advice against hers.

My mom took out a drachma. I blinked. So she kept some on her too. She ran back to the distance. "Will the snowmen follow her?"

"Hard to say," said Bough. He scratched his beard. "These snowmen seem to be animated quite simplistically."

"Like snow zombies," I said.

"Right. Satyr nature magic works like this when we manipulate plants. No doubt the controller is in the vicinity. Judging by the quality, or lack of in the snowmen's animation, I don't think it's Khione controlling them. Too weak to be a goddess." I looked at him strangely. You don't expect that type of analysis from your average woodsman.

"So are you saying that it's-,"

"Frostbite." Bough leaped, stepping over a snow man. His hatchet morphed into a chainsaw. "Leave him to me!" he shouted. "Take care of the snowmen."

And so it was just Lydia and me. Good old times, minus the reassuring figure of Argus. The snowmen inched forward at us, and it seemed like a bad thriller movie. These guys weren't exactly the most formidable of enemies, but we were at a loss at how to beat them.

Lydia was hesitant. "I can probably melt them with a flare arrow…,"

I closed my eyes. "No, please don't." Lydia shot another sonic arrow. It hit a snowman square on, and it exploded.

"Run!" She ran through the gap. I followed.

"What do we do now?"

"Bough wasn't being logical. These snowmen can't catch up to us, so we should have ganged up on that snow creep."

"His name is Frostbite."

"That sounds _so_ stupid." We went into the forest area where Bough had run into. We spotted him.

The satyr was leaning on a tree, blood marks on the snow. Large icicles stuck on his back. Like some type of snow hedgehog. He grimaced when he saw us.

"Bough!" said Lydia, horrified. "He stabbed you-,"

Bough winced. "I'm fine. He didn't get me with the knife."

"Where is he?" I asked. Bough gestured. I saw a figure in the distance. I went into Purple Ninja mode.

In a matter of seconds I was near him. He looked at me, surprised. His cold, black eyes looked into mine. Then a blast of frost hit me, sending me sprawling. For a moment my senses were overwhelmed by the blast. When I was fully in control again, the man was gone.

I groaned and got up. I was caked with snow powder, from my ski boots to my black hair.

Lydia ran up to me. "Did you get him?"

"I sent him packing."

"I'm sure you did. We need to contact camp."

"For what?"

"To tell them he got away."

I scowled.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Tis the Season to be Moody

We waited for several hours until the chariot landed. We managed to get to some place warm, and Lydia healed Boughs' wounds. Most of the icicle spears were shallow. Lydia cut of the icicles sticking out and then waited for the rest to melt. Afterward, she healed the wounds.

"My counselor, Will, is better at healing then I am."

Bough shrugged. "I'm not complaining."

My mom looked at me while Lydia and Bough discussed the mysterious benefactor. "What now?" she asked quietly.

I shrugged uncomfortably. "I've have to go to camp, I guess."

My mom looked at me, her eyes sad. "I know you have to go, but is this really so urgent? I think you guys still aren't aware of the bigger picture problem."

"But we have to report what we found at least."

"Can't it wait a few days? Until after Christmas?"

I felt a lump in my throat. Oh. Here it was: the problem that had been on my mind for the last three months. Whether or not to tell my mom I had less than two years to live. I wanted to spend time with her, but what about the benefactor? It sounded like serious business. Which was more important than, family or the gods?

Of course, there was a right answer. Go to camp and search for the benefactor. Was I willing to sacrifice perhaps potential lives just to spend a holiday with my mom? Any hero would go save the world. But I wasn't a hero. Until recently, I was a criminal.

Lydia looked at me while my mom went to make us some food. "You can stay here for a few days. I understand," she said quietly.

It was tempting. So very tempting. But I knew that this wouldn't be a matter of a few days. Camp was coming to pick us up, and I didn't really have any other options of transport to camp. Besides, Khione might be in the area. Staying here would only be dangerous.

Satyrs are generally good at reading emotions. Bough must have sensed my concern. "Don't worry," he said. "I have some contacts in the area. They can get your mom safely to California. Khione won't be able to reach her there."

That was a relief. Bough checked a clock. "They should be here soon."

My mom came from the small kitchen in the cabin we rented. "But I just made pasta!"

Bough hesitated. He took out a large plastic container and scooped the pasta in. "There we go."

I eyed the container. "You keep those with you a lot?"

"It doubles as food and a container for more food."

We heard a large thumping sound on the roof. "It's them," said Bough.

"Or maybe Santa." I couldn't help it.

There was a sound of someone falling. Greek cursing. Then the door opened and a bulky, bald kid stood at the doorway. Definitely not Santa.

Lydia nodded at the boy. "Butch."

He scowled. "I just spent the last few hours flying just to pick up you guys. Do I look like a cab? No, I'm not a cab. I'm a kid with a life, but noooo, Annabeth insists that I pick you guys up because I'm the best equestrian."

"Tough," I said. "Let's go." He glowered at me. With some difficulty, we all managed to get onto the chariot.

I looked at my mom for one last time. "New Year's. I'll be back by then." It was a desperate hope, but the chances of me being back were slim.

My mom smiled sadly, and then we were off.

The cold air bit at us. Butch adjusted the navigation device. Bough looked slightly nervous. "Let's hope Khione doesn't do anything."

Luckily, no blizzard hit us. I could feel the distance warping around us, and soon we were out of New Mexico. We finally made it to camp.

It was snowing lightly, just to get the Christmas spirit going. Thalia's pine tree was decorated with Christmas lights. Someone managed to put a Santa hat on Peleus the dragon.

I headed to the Big House. Chiron was inside, and turned to me in surprise. "Glen," he said. "I didn't know you were coming back so early."

"Me neither." I scowled. We relayed the information to him. Then another person walked in.

"Well, well, well. Did Laura send you back?" I turned. Standing there was a pudgy man in leopard print clothing. Apparently we shared the same moody scowl. Dionysus raised his eyebrows. I couldn't help but grin.

I looked into his eyes, but then he quickly looked away. I frowned. He was a bad father, but that didn't mean that he didn't care. He just seemed to distance himself from me. I'd seen him talk to Pollux, and Dionysus and I didn't have the same relationship.

Then again, our relationship had never been close. My first memory of him was when he drove a satyr insane. I still had shivers at the memory of the satyr screaming.

And yet he had personally gone to save my life in the Underworld. Most half-bloods here tell me that the gods don't know what to make of their children, but Dionysus was probably the most perplexing character I had ever met.

Chiron glanced at us. "Yes…the benefactor. I have never heard of such a thing. I have no idea who or what it is. We need something to go off of."

"They use poisoned blades," I suggested. Chiron thought for a moment.

"I see. Glen, can you retrieve something for me in the attic?" I wanted to say no. No one went into the attic. It was almost unholy in nature. Sure, there was no mummy in there now, but it still gave me bad vibes.

"What do you need?"

"A weapon. It should be right at the front."

I walked upstairs. The attic door creaked open. I stepped cautiously in. And then I tripped. "Hades!"

I looked at the object I had tripped on. I was a sword, with a sheath of black scales. I looked at it. It couldn't be. I unsheathed the sword. A sickly green blade gave off an unnatural sheen. I went downstairs.

Chiron glanced up at me. "Ah, good. You found it."

"This is the sword that we got from the Heliades. I thought I sent it to you," I said, looking at Dionysus.

He shrugged. "Yes, I got it. What did you want me to do? Lug it around with me? Dedicate a temple to it?"

"The last one would have been nice."

"Why did you even send it to me?"

"I was trying for some good luck."

"And then you got mauled by the Chimera."

"…it was a Father's Day present."

Dionysus considered it. "You're a little early." And that's as far as most of our conversations went.

Chiron seemed to be really troubled he took the sword. "I'll examine this. In the meantime, find something to do, Glen."

I was restless. It had been two days, but still nothing had come of it. Chiron was still examining the sword. The rest of camp acted normally. Having nothing to do was definitely not my element.

What was frustrating was the fact that nothing happened. I couldn't believe how anticlimactic this adventure had become. Being safe from monsters was nice, but I couldn't help but feel like there was a lingering threat floating above all of us.

I considered hanging out with other people. To be honest, the thought wasn't too appealing. Even though my crime had been cleared, most people steered clear from me. I probably gave off the vibe of someone better left alone.

A snowball hit me on the back of my head. I turned and saw Lydia. She nodded. "I heard that he's coming."

"Who?" I asked. There weren't many people I knew at camp save a handful of individuals.

"Percy Jackson." Oh. That famous guy. I might have seen him once a few months back, but he had left. People seemed pretty excited that Percy was arriving soon.

"Why does it matter to me?"

"He seems like role model material. Maybe you could learn from him."

"I'm awesome. What could I possibly need to learn?"

Lydia shrugged. "Maybe how to not be dismembered by the Chimera."

I scowled. Why does everybody keep on bringing that up? "Well, maybe I could teach him how to actually beat the Chimera." It was pretty lighthearted joking, but that was all there was.

I didn't know Percy Jackson and for all my banter I respected him. I changed the subject with my usual flair. "Any news on your brother?"

Another shrug. "A few clues. But what I'm really worried about is the benefactor and his or her relation to my brother."

I looked at her. "Explain."

"The Heliades took care of my brother, from what I can gather. And they had a benefactor. If push comes to shove, what if there's a conflict? I might meet my brother on the other side of the battle."

Not exactly a warm thought. A question occurred to me. "What does the benefactor even want?"

Lydia looked stumped. She threw a snowball at me. I threw one back. Before we could begin a sudden transition to snowball fighting, Annabeth intervened.

"Sorry to bother you guys," she said, "but there's a council meeting right now."

"Cool," I said. "How does that involve us in any way?"

"We need your story on this whole entire benefactor business. Come on, it's starting; Percy just arrived."

If I were Percy Jackson I would be feeling pretty annoyed at being called to work the day I got back. We entered the Big House rec room.

I was greeted by a snarl from the wall. I stared. "Seymour?"

"Of course," said Dionysus. He was busy on the Pac Man. "You didn't think I'd just leave him on the Styx, did you?"

Go figure. Chiron cleared his throat. "Glen, Lydia. Would you like to give a briefing?"

Lydia began talking. My mind drifted as I looked at the counselors. Clarisse and I had a little cohesion before. Will Solace seemed okay. Leo Valdez I didn't really know. The same with Piper McLean.

Annabeth stared intently at Lydia, as if trying to absorb the information she heard with her eyes. And next to Annabeth was Percy Jackson.

He seemed strange, and that made me feel uneasy. I remembered Nico di Angelo and the power he radiated. The same applied to Percy.

Lydia finished talking. The counselors looked at each other and began conversing. Finally one of them spoke.

It was Percy. "Why would an empousa be in line with the benefactor? I thought that they were servants of Hecate."

There was an uncomfortable silence as we all let that sink in. Annabeth spoke. "Whatever the reason, I'm reasonably confident that Hecate should know what's going on. We should go consult her."

"But what if she's a traitor?" It was Clarisse. "Then what? She'll turn us into frogs, or worse." There was silence, except for the sounds of the Pac Man machine.

Dionysus spoke. "I doubt it. Hecate was lucky to get pardoned from the second Titan War. She's far too clever to try another rebellion."

"But what about the empousa?" pressed Percy. "It's linked to her, right?"

Dionysus snorted. "That's for you to find out, Peter."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Mr. D. And who's this Frostbite? Is there no information on him?"

"I'm afraid not," said Chiron. "As for the sword, I am not able to identify the poison."

Pac Man's victory music played as my father got to the next level. He spoke. "Just like how you weren't able to find out what poisoned the pine tree, right Chiron?"

I had no idea what Dionysus was talking about, but it didn't really sound fair. Apparently Percy thought so too.

"He was innocent. And at least he didn't try to pin the blame on someone else. He actually tried to solve the problem."

Chiron sighed. "Not this again."

Dionysus eyed Percy. "Calm yourself. I thought that the Romans taught you a little discipline, Pedro." Percy clenched his teeth.

I took some action. It annoyed me that my dad was acting like such a jerk. I grabbed the controls on the Pac Man. Before my father could protest, I ran the Pac Man into a ghost.

"There we go," I said. "Problem solved."

Dionysus scowled. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't vaporize you on the spot."

"I'm your son."

He grumbled again. "Of course. The son card. Well played."

Chiron got our attention. "It seems that we need more substantial information in order to try anything. The council is adjourned."

I felt torn. This meeting got nothing done. We had literally wasted the whole entire time.

What a moody holiday. Lydia glanced at me. "Where are you going?"

I looked back at her. "I think it's time to take matters into our own hands."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Another Trip to the Underworld

"This is a bad idea," said Lydia.

"Nonsense," I replied. "It'll be fine."

"No it's not. We can't just march into Hecate's realm. It doesn't work like that."

"She's the Goddess of Crossroads. She can march into any of the Big Three's realms, so she really shouldn't be upset if we enter into her own realm. That would just be hypocritical."

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Try to bring that point up to her before she transforms you into a frog. Besides, you're missing some of the finer points of your plan. Where does Hecate live? How are we going to get there? How are we going to get out of camp?"

"Calm down. My dad once mentioned that Hecate lives in the Underworld. She's a friend of Persephone, I think."

Lydia nodded. "She helped Demeter track Persephone down after she was kidnapped by Hades. It makes sense that she would stay in the Underworld. That leaves us with two more problems."

"Not to worry. I have an associate who can get us into the Underworld."

"Nico?"

I frowned. "He's my associate. It sounds cooler. Not to mention more professional."

"So it _is_ Nico." I scowled. Lydia wasn't done talking. "Now we need to get out of camp. I don't think they'll just let us wander off."

"Why? It's a free country. But anyways, I have another associate."

"Stop saying that." We reached the border of camp. A figure met us at the pine tree. With all his eyes and muscular biceps folded together, Argus was an intimidating person.

Argus looked at me, with all his eyes. I began to talk. "Alright, Argus. We're just going to go out for a nice stroll outside of these borders." Argus didn't budge. He obviously wasn't being a helpful associate.

I tried again. "Come on, Argus. We really aren't going to do anything stupid." Argus raised an eyebrow. He knew me too well.

"Look, we'll be back in a day or two, tops," I said. Argus looked uneasy about it. "Nico is coming along too. We'll be fine." We waited for a moment. Finally, Argus relented.

I grinned at Lydia. "Problems solved."

We took a cab all the way to Central Park. Lydia looked around the park with interest. The second Titan War had partly been fought here. In fact, Hyperion was probably still encased in a maple tree somewhere.

"I wasn't here when the Hyperion thing happened," said a voice. We turned and saw the shadow converge. Out popped Nico di Angelo. He seldom stayed at camp, but a lot of people admired him for being so mysterious. Not that I cared, but he always gave the impression of someone who was both powerful and experienced. That was reassuring.

We walked to a pile of rocks. Nico glanced at Lydia. "You're a daughter of Apollo. Can you sing?"

She shook her head. "I'm more of the drawing type." Nico nodded. He poled out a device from his pocket.

"I brought an iPod," he explained. "Just in case." He played it, and turned the speakers up. Instantly the sound of someone rapping filled the air.

Lydia looked at Nico, who turned red. "What? It was on the iPod do I played it."

The rocks didn't budge. "I don't think it considers rap as music," said Lydia. "I know I don't."

"That's harsh," I muttered. Nico grumbled. He switched to Mozart. Instantly the rocks opened to form a crevice.

"How do you transition from rapping to Mozart?" I asked Nico.

"Shut up. It's not mine." I decided not ask how he got the iPod. We entered the path. I should have been feeling more hesitant, but I had been through the Underworld twice, alive and not alive.

Lydia looked more nervous. Nico turned to us, and I saw lines of anxiety on his face. "Let me warn you, I've never been to Hecate's realm before. My father told me to stay out of it."

We exited into the Underworld. "And I'm also not sure about where the realm is."

Lydia groaned. "You should have told us about that before."

Nico frowned. "I think I did. Didn't you tell her, Glen?" Lydia glared at me. She refused to talk to me for the next twenty minutes.

What could I do? If I had mentioned the fact there was no way she would have agreed to come.

Now Nico looked really nervous. "We're going to have to stop by my father's court. Don't be rude, or he'll kill you guys."

"And you're exempt from this rule?"

"I'm his son." The son card. Well played.

We reached the Underworld entrance. Cerberus barked menacingly. Nico concentrated, and then a skeleton in armor emerged from the ground. Instantly the left head of Cerberus snatched up the skeleton. The other two heads barked excitedly as the left head gnawed on the bone warrior.

"That was terrifying," I said. Nico shrugged.

"He likes Romans the best." We walked through various parts of the Underworld. Nico didn't feel like being a tour guide, so we passed in silence. Finally we got to the palace.

Nico did his VIP Underworld thing and the skeleton guards opened the doors. Sitting on his black throne was Hades. Nico kneeled. Lydia and I followed. I could feel Lydia's anxiety pulsing from her body. Hades' power radiated across the room.

"Heroes, why do you enter my re- wait." He frowned, looking at me. "Has it been two years already?"

"No." Nico gave an abbreviated explanation. Hades scowled. "I hate this. Every demigod thinks its okay now to venture in my realm. It's that blasted Jackson kid. He keeps on visiting this place. And getting out alive."

"Actually it's more about the Doors of Death," muttered Nico, but the god didn't seem to listen.

Hades summoned Persephone. The goddess appeared from thin air. I frowned. Her face was cold, and you could tell that she hated the Underworld. She looked at Nico distastefully.

The goddess held out her hand and a flower appeared. "Follow the flower," she said, bored. She thought for another moment. "In the event that Hecate doesn't kill you, tell her I said hi."

I looked at her. "Shouldn't we say it before?" The goddess looked at me blankly. "You know, to stop her from killing us."

Persephone shook her head. "I'm not going to force her to do anything. What type of person would that make me?" Did she just subtly glare at Hades?

"Now be gone!" said Hades. He waved his hand and we were off in the Fields of Asphodel.

I stood there, shivering. A dark trace of a memory from the time I was dead. I saw a glimpse of my father. Someone crying. I tried to concentrate, but then the memory disappeared.

Nico and Lydia were next to me. Nico took in a deep breath. "Well," he said, "that went well."

Lydia shook her head. "That went way too quickly and smoothly."

It bothered me as well. Hades seemed a little too lenient on letting us go. Sure, he complained, but he didn't actually do anything to stop us. I just couldn't shake off the ominous feeling of meeting Hecate.

If Hades was so relaxed about us in the Underworld it could only mean that he didn't believe we would survive in the realm of Hecate.

Great.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: We're Off to See the Wizard

"Don't even think about humming," warned Lydia.

"Fine," I grumbled. Nico just looked at us.

"Focus. We're about to visit the Goddess of Magic. She's not going to kill us."

"Oh, good."

'She'll do much worse. Be prepared for the worst scenario." I thought about that. The three of us being turned into animals. Never going back to camp. Never seeing my mom again.

Nico looked at me. "If it makes you feel better, _you_ won't be condemned to eternal punishment by Hecate. Your deadline will expire long before then."

"Thanks. That was really in the spirit of the holidays."

"Merry Christmas."

The flower took us to a seemingly desolate spot. Lydia frowned. She was holding the flower, which had now wilted. "I think that we're here."

I looked around, and an object caught my eyes. "Is that…the Statue of Liberty?" Lydia walked up to it. It had human proportions and it was made up of black rock. There was something missing from it, though.

Lydia noticed it first. "The torch is missing the flame part."

Nico looked at the pedestal it was on. "The bottom says Phlegethon"

"That sounds suspiciously like phlegm," I muttered.

Nico shook his head. "Phlegethon is a river in the Underworld."

"A river of _phlegm_?"

He shook his head irritably. "Glen, shut up. It's a river of fi-," he said before cutting himself off. He began muttering. "Missing fire…Phlegethon…,"

"Nico," I said. "Kind of creeping me out here." But then his eyes lit as an idea crossed his mind.

"Of course!" he said. He raised his hand and concentrated. A black flame lit up on his palm. He turned to us. "Phlegethon is the Underworld River of fire. The torch is a symbol of Hecate. It makes sense now; we have to light the torch with the river's flames."

He lit the torch. I looked at him. "Since when were you so smart?"

He looked slightly insulted. "It's in my father's sphere of control. Surely you look up stuff about you own godly parent, right?"

I grumbled. "If I want to learn more about my dad I can just visit a bar." Even as we spoke, things were changing. Emerging from the black ground was a huge building. I looked at Lydia and Nico. Then we walked in.

We entered what seemed to be a scientific lab. Two penguins were sitting on stools. One of them spoke.

"I'm telling you, Edward, your hypothesis is flawed. And I must remark on the vague sources in which you have cited in your bibliography."

The second penguin countered. "Vague? If anything, your lack of multiple trials creates a result that can only be described as _vague_."

We walked past them and into the next room. Lydia spoke for us all. "Well, that was…disarming."

This time an empousa greeted us. She smiled, flipping her blond hair. A long, white lab coat hid her legs. "How may I help you?"

Nico blinked. "Umm…"

Lydia rolled her eyes. I was silently thankful for having met an empousa before. It takes a lot of mental preparation. Lydia spoke. "We're here to see Hecate."

The empousa pouted. "Don't you want to stay and play with me?"

Nico opened his mouth, but I cut him off. "Do you know Scarlet?" Instantly, the empousa changed from playful to serious.

"Oh," she said, steel in her voice. "I see. You're looking for _her_. Follow me."

She led us through several halls. The building was loud, explosions everywhere. The empousa explained to us. "A lot of the spells go wrong. And just to make sure it _is _wrong, we have to do it again. Multiple trials equal accuracy. Lady Hecate is really big on that."

We took a left, past a door labeled "Teleporter Showers." I was curious, but the empousa didn't stop walking.

We entered into another room. Unlike the white wall of the lab, this room was decorated with all sorts of colorful, fluffy things. Stuffed animals neatly lined the bottom of the walls.

A little girl of about six or seven was in the center of the room. She sat at a little table dressed in a frilly looking dress. A cup of liquid hovered near her. She tried to swat it away.

The empousa talked to the girl. "You're going to have to drink your medicine, dearie."

"No!" screeched the girl. Her fist pounded the table. The cup glowed blue and then slammed into a wall. She screamed. "I want to go outside!"

The empousa's face became expressionless. She picked up the broken remains of the cup. "I'm afraid you can't, dearie."

The girl began crying. "I don't want to stay here!"

Lydia looked horrified. As a person with a kidnapped little brother, she was probably going through a stage of shock and dismay. "You can't keep a kid in here like this!"

"Lady Hecate's business is her own!" snapped the empousa. The girl cried louder. The stuffed animals all glowed blue and started hovering. A teddy bear flew at Nico. He ducked. The bear ran into a wall, and then slid down.

It left cracks in the wall. The empousa opened the door on the other side of the room. "Get out!" she said quickly. "I can't contain her temper."

We ran. The empousa closed the door. Before the door slammed shut I took another glance at the girl. She made eye contact with me and I saw a look of misery in her eyes. The door closed. Another teddy bear shaped indent formed on the door.

"What was that?" shouted Lydia. She looked wholly disgusted with the scene. I agreed with her. "Was that an _experiment_? You can't just keep kids in rooms like that!"

The empousa glared. "Lady Hecate's business is her own," she repeated. "Now, if you want to see her shut up and walk through that door." She pointed.

"Why is the psycho girl's room connected to Hecate's office?" Nico wondered aloud. No one answered his question.

At last the empousa led us into the office. She opened the door. "Lady Hecate, you have visitors. They want to talk about…Scarlet."

We walked inside and three chairs materialized. The door shut itself. Sitting behind a desk was Hecate.

She was busy writing up some document. Torches lit the room, the fires burning purple. Hecate looked beautiful, I guess. Most gods are, to the point where simple beauty becomes generic. Exceptions include Hephaestus and Janus.

She wrote on for ten minutes. At last she stopped, and looked at us through her glasses. She spoke. "Why do you want to know about Scarlet?"

Lydia spoke up. "She attacked us in New Mexico. And she's also known to be on the side of the benefactor. Which leads us to you."

"I see," said Hecate. "Are you accusing me of treason?" It was silent. The empousa edged forward to us.

I looked at Lydia. She began speaking again. "We mean no disrespect Lady Hecate. It's just that we discovered that Scarlet has sided with the benefactor."

"Do you have proof?"

Lydia blinked. "Yes. She had a poisoned knife."

"Show it to me."

"We don't…we don't have it."

"Who does?"

"Scarlet."

"I see," said Hecate. "You're expecting me to acknowledge the existence of a benefactor, the sole proof of such being's existence being a knife as you claim, but do not have possession of?"

That was a pretty good point. I looked at Hecate. "Can't you…discover where Scarlet is?"

"Perhaps. But to do so, I would actually need to put effort into it. Scarlet is a free being and I have no control on what she does unless I command it directly to her. As of now, no such command restricting her movements or decisions has been made."

Nico looked surprised. "But…don't you have any control over her? She's your subject."

"A subject to anyone is also subject to change," replied Hecate. "Was I not a subject to Zeus before the second Titan War?"

Nico looked at her. "Do you swear on the Styx that you have no control over your empousa?"

Hecate nodded. "I swear." A solemn moment passed. I decided to interject.

"Alright then. We'll be leaving." I opened and held the door as Lydia and Nico walked out. "Oh," I said. "And we'll be taking the girl too."

I slammed the door. Call it impulsive, but whatever. No innocent person deserves to be shut in a prison, especially not a kid.

Thankfully, Lydia and Nico got what was happening quickly. They followed behind me. We opened the door to the room.

The girl stared at us, her eyes widening. Lydia spoke quickly. "Do you want to go outside?"

The child smiled a gloriously happy smile. Truly a Disney moment. "Yes!" she chirped. The moment was then ruined by a horrendous scream.

Hecate appeared at the doorway, looking murderous. I turned to the exit, only to find it blocked by the empousa. I expected her to lash out at me, but she just stood there menacingly. Angry, but cautious.

The girl was right next to me. Apparently she was too important to injure. I grabbed her. The girl squealed, more in excitement then anger or fear.

"Want a piggy back ride?" I asked. She nodded. "Ok, but hold on tight." I felt the Purple Ninja aura envelop me.

I charged. The empousa was torn, stuck between killing me and not killing the girl. She hesitated a moment to long, and I barreled past her.

I ran and turned around part way to check on my friends. Nico clapped his hands. A black rock jagged outward from the ground, sealing the doorway. Hecate would have been impaled, but she vanished.

The empousa lunged but was thrown back by the force of a sonic arrow. Nico and Lydia ran for it, catching up to me.

Hecate appeared in front of us. I looked at my friends. "Take a shower," I muttered. Nico looked confused. Thankfully, Lydia understood. She dragged Nico down a hallway. Hecate let them go.

She looked at me. "Hand over the child."

"So you can subject her to experiments? No way."

Hecate snarled. "She is rightfully mine!"

I paused. "You want her? Catch!"

In one of my impulsive and morally deficient moments I threw the girl. She squealed, still enjoying herself.

Hecate reached out to catch. I slammed into her. Her form vanished. I grabbed the girl from the air. Thank you, Purple Ninja, for your ever useful skills.

I ran into the closest door I could find. The two penguins were there, taking a salmon break. I ran to the door on the other side, but Hecate blocked it. Her materializing ability was really starting to annoy me.

The penguins looked at me, startled. I grabbed at the nearest counter. A beaker that said 'highly volatile.' I held it up to Hecate.

"What are you going to do?" she sneered. "Make me a potion?"

Time to use a classic escaping ploy. I gestured at the other beakers. "What do you think will happen when I mix all these together?"

"Actually, you won't," offered a penguin. "Any two of those together will probably destroy this room." Hecate shot the offending penguin a glance.

"You wouldn't," said Hecate. She didn't seem to care about the room or the penguins, but the girl was obviously of importance to her.

"Well," said the other penguin, "we are literally at the gates of death. The lab is located in the Underworld. And he's the son of Madness, and that's obviously already taking hold. I wouldn't put it past him to blow us all up."

I wondered what he meant by madness taking hold but Hecate looked at me. I held up the flask. "Let me go out of this room."

Hecate considered. "Fine," she said. "But I'll be at your heels the moment you step out of this room. Where are you going to escape off to?"

She vanished. I went to the other side of the room. I started sprinting. Immediately, I could hear shrieks of various monsters. No time to look back at what Hecate sent loose.

I ran for my life. The girl seemed oblivious to the mayhem, only giggling as she looked behind.

I finally found the room. 'Teleporter Showers' labeled the door. I opened it, and entered the room. Inside were tiled walls, and the steamy air of a hot shower. There were several giant tubs. There was sign that said 'Tub carrying capacity: 6'. I searched around and saw Lydia and Nico crouching in a tub. They saw me.

And then Hecate appeared from the steam. A sword flashing at my friends. She looked at me triumphantly. "Hand over the girl."

I slowly let the girl slide down from my back. Hecate nodded. "Your mistake was that you assumed that I didn't know what the term 'shower' meant."

I nodded. Then I threw some thing at her. Her sword slashed at it, and the contents spilled out.

Immediately Hecate began steaming. She looked at the remains of the flasks. She looked at me, horrified.

"Your mistake," I said, "was assuming I didn't take any highly volatile chemicals with me."

I grabbed the girl and ran at Hecate. She swore. The chemicals were starting to react now, and Hecate started glowing ominously. Judging by her reaction, the glowing wasn't voluntary.

I jumped in the tub. Lydia turned the water on, and we were enveloped in hot mist and water. The mist clouded over my senses. Before the mist completely obscured my sight, I saw Hecate explode into thousands of multicolored bubbles.

Not what I had expected from a highly volatile substance. Then again, I wasn't complaining.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Dogged Down

The veil of steam and water dissipated, and we found ourselves out in the snow. I got up, trying to get my bearings. There was a pine tree in the distance.

Nico got up, frowning. "Strange. I set it to get us into camp. The borders must have magically prevented us from entering. We're going to have to get in by walking."

"And that's not a problem, right?" I asked.

"No of course not- oh, Hades." Shadowy forms began converging into pure black…dogs.

"Those are Hecate's sacred animals," murmured Lydia. "The Hounds of Hecate." Alliteration. Nice.

I glanced at Lydia. "Can you get her across the property line?" I asked, indicating the girl.

A dog lunged at me. I was still in Purple Ninja mode so I ran at it. The dog was in the air, and I slid beneath it. My knife slashed upward. The dog gave a mournful bark before dissipating into shadow.

I thought I was doing pretty well. Then another dog slammed into me. I tried to push it off, but the thing was fierce. His mouth aimed at my throat. Then there was a sound of stabbing, and the dog keeled over.

A skeleton warrior helped me up. Cautiously, I took his hand. Nico was battling it out with two of his skeletons. It was the three of them versus five menacing pooches. I ran in.

I managed to take one by surprise. I tackled it to the ground, but it writhed violently. The knife was knocked out from my hand. Nico destroyed another one, but a skeleton warrior went down as well.

The dog rolled over, throwing me off. It bit at me. I threw my pine cone at its gaping jaw. There was a yelp as my bronze pine cone staff, a thyrsus, was planted in its mouth. Then it crumbled to nothing.

Three hounds left. I looked at Nico. His other skeleton was in pieces now as well. "Can you summon more of them?"

"I can do better. But I need focus. Can you distract them?" One on three? Why not? Three hounds advanced, with a clear intent to kill. I unleashed the Red Beast.

One of them stepped too close to me. I smashed the thyrsus into their face. It disintegrated, and the other two double teamed me.

I managed to bat one away with the thyrsus, but the other one got behind me. The one batted away recovered and lunged. I tried to swing, but the dog behind me had latched on firmly to the pine cone.

I hit the snow, hard. My fists lashed out. One hit the dog on the nose. It blinked, and I pushed him off. But the other one rushed at me. I snarled as its claws raked my arm.

"Nico?" The son of Hades looked at me and nodded. He motioned for me to get away.

I stumbled back. For a moment nothing happened. Then there was a rumbling, and the ground cracked open. A crevasse formed and with several yelps the remaining dogs fell through. Then the ground sealed back up, leaving only a crack.

I stared at it. "Hey, that crack looks like the one in the mess hall."

Nico shrugged. "Never mind about that. Let's get into the camp." We trudged through the snow.

When we reached the pine tree we were greeted at by Lydia. She looked pale and nervous. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"You're not going to believe this," she said. She looked at the girl. "What's your name?"

"Arielle!" chirped the girl happily.

"Who is your mother?"

The girl giggled. "Hecate!"

I looked at Lydia, realization slowly dawning. "Oh no. Gods. Did we just-?"

Nico sighed. "We just stole a kid from her mother." Great.

Nico melted into shadows, which left Lydia, Arielle, and me. That was an hour ago. Now we were facing an entirely new enemy.

Chiron just looked at us. I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. "We really didn't mean to-,"

"Silence, child." Chiron's voice was stern. "I hope you realize what you have done. You have angered Hecate and stolen her child. You have left camp despite the dangers lurking outside. I'm in shock that you visited the Underworld."

Lydia said nothing. Chiron continued speaking. "I am disappointed in both of you. Glen, I know you are prone to impulsive decisions, but Lydia…I had hoped that your logical mind would rein in his actions. It seems that I am mistaken."

Chiron sighed again. "Granted, we now know that Hecate is not involved in this plot. But that was only part of the problem. I realize that your actions carried noble intent, but I think a punishment must be put in place. The two of you are forbidden to leave camp for the next three weeks as well as being subject to whatever chore we have for you to do." With that, Chiron clambered out.

Lydia and I just sat there. I began to speak. "Well that went-,"

Lydia cut me off. "No, that did not go well."

"Just trying to look on the bright side here."

"Glen, there is no bright side. You could have killed us. We're lucky that we did get out alive."

I frowned. "Are you suggesting that this is my fault? Well partly, but you agreed."

"I'm not talking about that. Do you even remember what happened in Hecate's lab?

"Of course. I was there-,"

"No. I mean were you aware of your actions? You just randomly took Arielle. Nico and I didn't even have time to think before you just rushed off."

"I was trying to save her!"

"But you don't just kidnap someone off the bat! And that time when you threw the chemicals. You could have killed us."

"Hecate dissolved into _bubbles_."

"But you didn't know that. What if the chemicals were explosive? We'd be dead." She let the last word hang in the air. She took a breath and spoke again.

"Have you been feeling off lately? You've been more than impulsive. You're acting _crazy_. Like when you tackled Scarlet of a ski lift. It's a miracle that you're even alive."

I just stared at her. "Are you angry?"

"I'm not angry. I'm concerned. Your powers…are they really natural? I've never seen Pollux do what you've done."

I thought about that. Lydia didn't look angry anymore. She really did look worried. She sat there for a moment. Then she left.

I took my leave too.

"Pollux."

"Hm?" Pollux looked at me. "What?"

We were in Cabin Twelve. "You know my powers, right?"

Pollux yawned. "Yeah. What about them?"

I struggled to form a question. "Have you…ever used those powers?"

Pollux thought for a moment. "No. But I think Castor did once." At the name Castor I shivered. Something was eerily familiar about that name.

Pollux continued talking. "It was against a hellhound. We were trying to get to camp, and I hurt my leg. We were really desperate. And when the hellhound lunged Castor turned purple. He beat back the hellhound."

"Did he ever use the power again?"

Pollux shook his head. "After that one time, Castor was really exhausted. More than you ever were. He didn't wake up for days. The power seemed like a desperation type of move. He never used the power as naturally as you did."

I didn't ask anymore questions. I figured that my day had been eventful enough. I turned off the lights. My problems could trouble me another day.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Grounded

"No!" shrieked Arielle. A plate flew straight at us. Lydia ducked, wincing. Chiron had concluded that the most arduous chore was babysitting a girl that had too much magical power.

"You're going to have to drink your milk eventually," said Lydia. The table began glowing ominously.

I gulped. "Maybe we should let her simmer down a bit." Arielle glared at us. The table did not stop glowing.

Lydia groaned. I looked at her. "I thought you were good with children."

"My brother did not hurl large objects at me with magic."

I sighed. Arielle's temper was dangerous. Even the Hecate cabin couldn't deal with her fits. "Let me try to calm her down."

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Right. Because calming people down is your specialty."

I scowled. "I don't ask for trouble."

"You stole someone's child."

"It was a misunderstanding!" I grabbed a juice box on the table. Chiron had wisely set them on the Big House's table.

"Do you want apple juice, Arielle? You love apple juice." I held up the juice box. Arielle stared at it for a moment. The juice box levitated from my hand. Then it hovered above my head. Arielle clenched her hand in a fist.

The juice box exploded. Within seconds I was drenched in sugared fruit water. Arielle giggled maliciously.

It occurred to me now what the real problem at Hecate's realm had been. It wasn't that Hecate wasn't treating the girl well. Arielle was just really, really spoiled. Add some innate magical talent and you've got yourself a ticking time bomb of disaster.

"Arielle!" I snapped. The giggling stopped. She glared at me, and I glared back. "No more candy for you."

Lydia glanced at me in alarm. Those were the taboo words. Arielle sat still for a moment. He eyes widened and her bottom lip trembled. Then she began screaming.

I had an inkling as to what to do next. I was no newcomer to having a temper tantrum. It happened a lot when I was little.

My mother had a considerable temper as well. In order to curb my anger when I was younger, she took the offensive. If I shouted, she shouted louder. If I screamed, she screamed over me. Sounds harsh, but early on I got the message: my mom was the alpha being.

I was going to employ the method now. I mean, it seems a little mean, particularly when I'm going to be raging at a little girl. But hey, the method worked for me and I turned out fine. Right?

Never mind. Don't answer that. Anyways, Arielle was screaming. The table was several inches off the ground now.

Lydia backed away. I stood my ground. Arielle pointed at me and the table flew forward.

I went into Red Beast mode. My hand grasped my pine cone and soon my thyrsus was in my hands. I swung at the incoming table. Fortunately, the furniture was no Chimera.

I stood in the center of the demolished remains of the table. I looked at Arielle. "Are you done?" I shouted. "Is that all? Good! Now listen. I'm not going to pamper you like some idiotic poodle. Stop screaming and _shut up_."

Arielle blinked. "Oh, and drink your milk," I added.

She began crying. Lydia looked at me, mildly impressed. She immediately hurried forward and started to comfort Arielle. The little girl drank her milk. Then she fell asleep. No doubt the table trick took a lot out of her.

Lydia turned to me. "That was…unorthodox."

I shrugged. "Get used to it."

Chiron and Bough walked in. Chiron's' eyes widened. "Is this…yes, it is. Silence." He closed his eyes, obviously savoring the quiet peace. "Her crying has been ringing through the whole entire camp."

Bough looked equally relieved. "That's great. Chiron, now you don't have to blast Dean Martin across the camp."

Chiron frowned. "But I like Dean Martin."

"Yes, yes." Bough winked at us. "I'm sure you do." Chiron and Bough walked out. Lydia and I sat down. I winced.

"Table splinter." I glanced at Lydia. "Feel free to heal it."

"I'm sure you're fine," she said absentmindedly. She turned to Arielle. "What are we going to do about her? We can't just return her to Hecate."

"Sure we can. Maybe add a big apology card. I'm sure Hecate will understand."

"You still stole her child."

"Stop bringing that up."

Eventually Arielle woke up. She rubbed her eyes drowsily. Then she made eye contact with me and her eyes widened in apprehension.

I held out another juice box. "Here you go." She tentatively took it.

She held the juice box, all the while looking at me. I nodded in a way I hoped would be encouraging. "Drink it. And listen. I'm sorry for what I said earlier, but you need to understand. No more magic tantrums, okay?"

A slow nod. Arielle opened the juice box. Her grip was too tight. Instantly apple juice squirted out, hitting me in the face.

Arielle giggled before she could stop it. Then she looked at me and clapped her hands to her mouth. I looked at her for a moment. Then I cracked a smile.

I spent the rest of the afternoon playing with Arielle. When the day ended, the girl was laughing happily. It almost made the fact that I stole her from her mother okay.

Well, not really. Lydia raised her eyebrows as Arielle was escorted to her cabin. "You can actually take care of children."

"One of my many skills," I replied. Lydia laughed. It was a good sign when she laughed.

Then she became thoughtful. "So, what happens now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what are we supposed to do now that we've been forbidden to leave? The benefactor still remains at large and we have no idea what he or she can do."

I knew what she meant. I hated doing nothing at camp, the feeling of being grounded to a place. There was a problem out there, something that almost begged for a quest.

Most demigods don't really look forward to quests. It's as much of a death wish as it is an honor. But I was desperate. Maybe if I discovered something important my deadline would be fulfilled.

I couldn't let the chance pass me by. And yet, here I was, another day gone by. Lydia looked at me.

"Glen."

"What?"

"Merry Christmas Eve." I looked at her, surprised. I had forgotten what the day was. I felt my ears turn slightly red.

"Yeah. Um, Merry Christmas Eve to you too." She smiled again. And then she left. I departed too, albeit with a smile on my face.

I entered my cabin. Even though I was away from my mother, with two years left to live unless a certain goddess of magic got to me first, I felt strangely hopeful.

Tomorrow was Christmas. Might as well enjoy it.

"Glen." Someone shook me. I mumbled as I opened my eyes. I had been sleeping, and I glared at my disturber.

"Pollux." Then I remembered what day it was. "Merry Christmas."

"Yeah, yeah. That's not important."

I frowned. "_Christmas_ is not important?"

He shook his head hurriedly. "Listen. Two people just appeared at the camp borders. One of them is Rachel Dare. The other visitor…well, he refuses to come in or even talk unless he sees you."

I blinked. "Me? Why don't you just ignore him?"

"Because he has our Oracle. We can't risk losing her."

Groaning, I changed. I took my knife and pine cone. I had a bad feeling about the meeting.

I opened the cabin door and walked to greet the visitor on a fine Christmas morning. I sincerely hoped the meeting wouldn't end with a battle to the death.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: A Quest Begins

"You seem annoyed, Glen. Is my presence here bothering you?"

"You're the Titan of forethought. You tell me."

Prometheus smiled. I hesitated, wondering what approach I should take. Prometheus was one of the few immortals who didn't want to kill me. On the other hand, it was almost impossible to get under his skin.

I chose the annoyed path. "What are you doing here? And you can't just take our Oracle. That's a kidnapping, and illegal."

"Miss Dare here is more than happy to comply with me. And speaking of kidnapping, I heard that Hecate wishes to kill you."

I grumbled, and Chiron clambered forward. "Prometheus," he said cautiously, "it's…nice to see you."

Prometheus held up a hand. "No need for formalities, my dear centaur. I know where I stand with the gods."

"You do?"

"Yes. I don't stand with the gods." There was a nervous silence. "That is not to say that I am going to destroy you all. I love humans, right Percy?"

Heads turned around to see Percy Jackson standing in the back. He scowled. "I don't trust you. How do we know that you won't switch sides when things get risky?"

"You don't," replied Prometheus smoothly. "I have no obligations to help your camp at all."

"Then why are you here?" asked Chiron.

"Simple. I know who the benefactor is. And I owe Glen Faulkner a favor for getting rid of a certain vulture for me."

"Oh," I said. "Thanks."

Prometheus waved a hand lazily. "No problem. I also want to stay in favor of the gods, of course."

Chiron raised an eyebrow. "Even when the odds are against the gods?"

Prometheus shrugged. "I've learned a thing or two. Apparently courage can't be measured." He looked at me when he said it.

Chiron pushed on. "What's the news then? Who is the benefactor?"

"The benefactor…," Prometheus said, dragging it out dramatically, "is Python."

I blinked. "Like…the snake?" Chiron shook his head.

"Python was a serpent dragon. In the old days he guarded the Oracle of Delphi until Apollo slew him. But the real question is how it is possible that he is back? The gods would have discovered and slew him by now."

Prometheus nodded. "A valid point. But remember, the Doors of Death were opened not too long ago. And I don't believe Python is back. At least not in the flesh. What's more likely is that he established a channel with his mind while he still remained in the Underworld. Much like what Kronos did."

Chiron seemed troubled. "I see. So the poison and the scales were Python's?" Prometheus nodded.

"Indeed. Ah, but we are forgetting something. Or someone." The Titan gestured toward Rachel Dare.

Our Oracle had been silent, but she started to speak now. "We need a quest, Chiron. I had a dream a few days ago. And it's urgent."

Chiron nodded. He walked back and gave orders to summon the council. And I had a feeling that this time the council would make some important decisions.

Prometheus had left, but he had suggested to Chiron that Lydia and I attend the council. Chiron agreed. No one wants to anger a Titan.

The council began and Rachel Dare immediately began speaking. "A few days ago, I had a dream. It was in Central Park."

The council stirred. Central Park obviously did not seem like a place of prophetic importance. Rachel continued though.

"I saw a huge maple tree. And this snake made up of black smoke. It spoke to the tree. And something in the tree spoke back."

Annabeth glanced at Percy. "Hyperion," she said. "He's trapped in the tree."

"Was," corrected Rachel. "Now he's out. Python freed him."

"Where is he?" asked Will Solace.

Rachel shrugged. "I'm not sure. We need a prophecy to know for certain. In other words, we need a quest."

"I'll do it," I said immediately. People looked at me. I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. I was still relatively new to the camp while the counselors were all battle hardened campers. Who was I to volunteer on the quest?

Chiron looked at me, thoughtful. Even though I was still in trouble from the Hecate incident Chiron didn't discriminate me for it. It's what made him such a good teacher.

"Glen, I acknowledge your willingness, but I think that it's too preliminary to decide on the quest. On the other hand, I do think that we should have a prophecy." Chiron turned to Rachel Dare. "What do we have to do to stop Python's motives?"

Rachel sat down, and green smoke swirled around her. Her mouth opened and she spoke.

_On the phantom island dwells the Titan of Light_

_ The Isle's gentle guardian subdued by might_

_Those who go there must beware_

_Stolen Sun child's mighty glare_

_Son of the Sea returns to the past_

_While the Sister and brother reunite at last._

There was more silence. Expected, of course. Annabeth and Percy exchanged another glance. Was it me, or was there a sudden tension between the two?

Chiron seemed concerned as well. Finally, he spoke. "I know of several phantom islands. But this one seems to denote a particular one. A son of Poseidon has been to it, and the guardian is kind."

"Ogygia," said Annabeth. "Home of…Calypso." She glanced at Percy. "And you're going back."

Lydia spoke up. "That last line…I think its talking about me." Everyone looked at her. She turned a little red. "My brother, a son of Apollo was stolen. And I think it means I might reunite with him."

Chiron nodded. "It seems to be like that. What's your call, Percy?"

Everyone looked at Percy Jackson. He seemed a little uncomfortable, but he answered. "I think that Annabeth, Lydia, and I should go on the quest."

I suddenly realized that the group did not include me. I wanted to argue, but against what? Lydia and Percy were part of the prophecy, and Annabeth was a better and smarter choice than I was.

Chiron nodded gravely. "Very well. The three of you set off at night. Percy, pray to your father. I trust that he will provide you with a form of travel. Sleep well. Annabeth, come with me. We will discuss about navigating your way to Ogygia. You will travel by sea."

The council adjourned. A lot happened in this one, but it left me feeling even more torn.

I turned to go when a hand touched me. I turned around to face Percy Jackson.

"Um, hey," I said. Not very eloquent, but whatever.

Percy Jackson looked at me intently. "Listen, I know what its like to be left out on the quest. Don't get too upset about it. Take a walk on the beach tonight. Maybe bring a friend."

He walked out, leaving me slightly more confused.

"Don't be so down about it," said Bough. I had listened to Percy's advice and was taking a walk down the beach.

"I'm not down about anything."

"I can sense your emotions. Trust me, you're down about this." The three of them had left an hour or so ago. It seemed so sudden, but Chiron insisted that they go as soon as possible.

"Calm down, Glen. There are a lot of things that we can still do. We can find out about Python's motives and we can track down his allies."

"But you're forgetting about Hyperion. He's on Ogygia, and that's where the source of the problem is. There is no better place to find out information on Python."

Bough shrugged. "No use thinking about it. What bothers me is how quickly Chiron sent them on a quest. There is no imminent danger or a deadline to meet. This seems unusually hasty for Chiron."

I wasn't listening. I was looking at the two forms on the shore. They were part fish and part horse.

Bough frowned when he saw it. "Hippocampi…but why?" He began to converse with them. Suddenly his eyes widened.

"Glen…the hippocampus just said that Percy Jackson sent him here. These two guys are here to send us to the questing group."

I stared, not quite believing my luck. Percy Jackson had sent us a form of transportation. We were going to go on the quest.

I looked at Bough. "Are you up for a quest?"

Bough sighed. "There's no way to stop you from going, is there?"

"You tell me, oh great emotion reader."

Bough grumbled. "Fine, let's go."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: All Aboard

"I'm telling you, Percy sent me," I said. Annabeth narrowed her eyes at me, suspicious. Lydia hung back, startled and unsure. Percy Jackson had his sword pointing at me.

"Did you send him, Percy?"

"No. Well I mean yes, but no. I don't think I did…," Percy trailed off, as confused as the rest if us were. He seemed to be trying to remember something, but couldn't.

Bough spoke up. "I vouch for the kid, Percy sent us. The hippocampi said so."

"I did?" wondered Percy aloud. The rest of us were silent. Finally Percy capped Riptide.

"Fine," said Annabeth. "Come with me, I'll find you something to do."

It turned out that I didn't have to do much. The ship we were on moved by Percy's telepathic commands. Queen Anne's Revenge was written on the side. I frowned.

"My father repaired it," explained Percy. "He answered my prayer."

How nice. When I pray to my father I get mauled by the Chimera anyway. Tough love, as Dionysus once told me.

"Now what?" I asked after a while.

"We wait until some monster offsets us with the intent to utterly destroy us," replied Annabeth.

"You've been on a lot of these ocean voyages, I gather."

"You have no idea."

"How we going to get to Ogygia?" asked Bough.

As usual, Annabeth had an answer to every thing. "Ogygia is located now in the Sea of Monsters. Hopefully, we can steer past all of the troublesome parts."

I yawned. "Get some sleep," said Annabeth. "Since you're on this quest now, I need you to be alert when the time is right."

I found a bed in a cabin. I crashed down on it. Within a few minutes I was asleep.

I found myself in a dark place. I was standing on a silver platform. Suddenly the platform quivered, and I found myself falling.

A figure appeared on a second platform. I immediately my platform shot back up, leveling the figure and me. I looked at the person, and I realized what the silver platforms were.

We were on a scale. I glared at Nemesis. The goddess smiled. "Did you miss me, Glen Faulkner?"

"I was hoping to forget you."

"Yes, well, revenge is sweet when it's drawn out. And dear Glenny, I would _never _forget you."

"Charming."

"I can contact Hecate; do you want to see Hecate?"

"No one ever wants to hear my side of the story," I grumbled.

Nemesis only smiled that evil smile of hers. It reminded me how not too long ago she killed her own son, Adrian. Then another thought occurred to me.

"Are you on the benefactor's side?"

"I'm the goddess of balance. I'm on no one's side."

"You were on the Titan's side in the second Titan war."

"The past is the past," said Nemesis dismissively. "Now tell me, should we be bantering, or do you want to wake up now to a son of Poseidon bent on killing your crew?"

I thought about it. "Well, I do like talking…," but Nemesis laughed and my dream vanished.

I woke up to a large roar. I ran out, still half dazed. Waiting on the deck was a buff man in golden armor. He stood, tall and impressive. A two handed sword was in his hand. It was wickedly long and just begging to cleave someone's head off.

The whole crew was staring. I looked at Percy. "He's all yours."

The man spoke. "I am Chrysaor! I have come to challenge the son of Poseidon. Where is he?"

Percy stepped up. "I'm him. What do you want?"

"Challenge me in a fight to the death!" I suspected that Chrysaor was not that great of a conversationalist.

Percy uncapped his sword, Riptide. I watched as he stepped forward. Time to see the camp legend in action.

Percy swung first. It was faster than I had ever seen before. But Chrysaor was ready. He matched the blow, and Percy actually staggered back. Chrysaor lunged forward, but Percy deflected the blow.

Chrysaor swung again and again, and each blow was quicker and stronger. Percy held his ground, albeit with difficulty. To me, it just seemed amazing. The two of them were fighting at a speed where I had thought impossible without at least using the Purple Ninja.

But it was clear that Percy was losing. He glanced at the deck railing. Annabeth shook her head. "He's going to jump into the water. It's not going to work. Percy!" she called, but it was too late.

Percy jumped. With a grin, Chrysaor followed him. For a moment, they were gone. Then a miniature hurricane appeared above the water. Percy and Chrysaor were still fighting, both unhindered by the vortex of water.

"Fool!" shouted Chrysaor. "I am the son of Poseidon as well! You cannot best me with you pathetic skills."

"Why do you want to kill me?" questioned Percy.

"For killing my mother and my son!"

"Who?"

"Don't be ignorant!" snarled Chrysaor. "The deaths of Medusa and Geryon shall be avenged!" I knew why now that he had attacked us. For _revenge_. No doubt Nemesis had a part to play in this mess.

Without thinking, I ran at the deck. Lydia pulled me back. "That," she said, "Is a stupid decision. Think it through."

I took a breath. "Alright." Then I ran at the edge. I jumped, with the Purple Ninja invoked.

I jumped down, knife in hand. I flipped through the air and propelled my self straight into the center of the hurricane.

I caught Chrysaor by surprise. The moment I made contact with him I activated the Red Beast. A attacked him with a flurry of blows. He was getting a pretty good smacking.

Then we hit the water. Instantly my blows lost power. Chrysaor punched, and it hit me square in the jaw. I gasped, only to realize that there wasn't any air. I tried to swim up, but I felt a force weighing me down. Chrysaor was trying to drown me.

Then Percy Jackson hit the water. He slashed at Chrysaor, the movement as fast as it was on land. He touched me, and I instantly could breathe.

Chrysaor laughed. "Can you fend off my blows and keep him alive at the same time?"

I looked at Percy. "Let go of me."

He blinked. "What?"

"It's the only chance we have."

To his credit, Percy looked indignant. He opened his mouth to protest, but we didn't have the time. I shoved him aside.

Instantly I lost the ability to breath. The water grew cold and I started to sink. Percy tried to grab me, but Chrysaor clashed with him.

I couldn't breathe. On hindsight, maybe I shouldn't have let go. The water below me was so dark that I was unsure at what point I blacked out.


End file.
